At last, the truth: Binge drinkers
<u>are</u> blighting our lives

Almost a quarter of people believe their lives are being blighted by drunks fighting, vomiting and urinating in the streets or threatening them, a devastating Home Office study revealed yesterday.

In a huge blow to Tony Blair's Respect agenda, the report also contains increased evidence of drug dealing, harassment and intimidation - the three key issues the Prime Minister has repeatedly promised to bring under control.

More here...

• Cannabis, muggings and brawling push up crime rates

The study, Perceptions and Experience of Anti-Social Behaviour, found 22 per cent of people say public drunkenness and rowdiness was a big problem in their lives in 2004-2005, up from 19 per cent the year before.

It admits: "There have been significant increases in the proportion of people perceiving people being drunk or rowdy in public places."

Alarmingly, the rise took place in the year before Labour unleashed 24-hour drinking. Experts fear next year's report, covering 2005-2006, will make for even worse reading.

Of those who say their lives are being blighted by alcohol-related bad behaviour, half have been "abused" by drunks and 18 per cent have been assaulted.

Some 36 per cent have been intimidated by groups of drinkers and 32 per cent have seen fights in the street.

In an indication of how the binge-drinking culture is ruining Britain's town centres, 29 per cent of people had seen yobs urinating in the street while 26 per cent had seen vomit on the pavement.

The report proves that the Daily Mail was right to warn that Labour's promotion of a more relaxed attitude to drinking would prove a disaster.

Backed by medical experts and police, the Mail produced a barrage of evidence that flooding Britain with alcohol would increase violence and drunken behaviour. Ironically, speaking in January 2005, Mr Blair said: "The law-abiding majority who want the ability, after going to the cinema or theatre, say, to have a drink at the time they want should not be inconvenienced."

However yesterday's report - based on the British Crime Survey of more than 40,000 households - revealed people are taking drastic steps to try to escape the tidal wave of drunkenness after losing faith with the police sorting it out.

More than a quarter shun drinking hotspots, and 21 per cent avoid going out after dark. One in ten have even considered moving house, while the same number say they cannot sleep at night.

Yet more than eight out of ten - 82 per cent - say they do not report the drunkenness to police - meaning its true scale is way beyond that recorded by the Government's crime figures.

Most believe the authorities would not be interested, or could not do anything about it.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "Given this increase in concern about public drunkenness, it is alarming that the Government simply unleashed 24-hour drinking on our towns and cities."

The study shows the Respect Agenda has failed to impact in most of its target areas, despite swallowing hundreds of thousands of pounds of public funding.

Some 26 per cent said they were worried about drug use or dealing in their area, up one per cent, while 28 per cent were irritated by graffiti and 12 per cent had been insulted, pestered or intimidated.

Last week, the Mail revealed how alcohol-fuelled crime has soared since the liberalisation of drink laws last November.

Arrests for drink-related offences leapt 86 per cent in six months, and more than doubled since Christmas 2004.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The Government is committed to tackling alcohol-related crime and disorder.

"We have expanded police powers to close down disorderly and noisy licensed premises, encouraged greater use of fixed penalty notices, dispersal orders and confiscation of alcohol powers, and introduced a communications campaign aimed at binge drinkers aged between 18 and 24."